'Billy the Exterminator' drug charge: guilty plea

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — William "Billy" Bretherton, star of the A&E reality TV show "Billy the Exterminator," has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of possessing synthetic marijuana, his attorney said.

Bretherton was put on probation for a year and prosecutors dropped charges against his wife at a hearing April 19 in Bossier Parish, attorney Allyn Stroud said Tuesday.

He said Bretherton was given a suspended 60-day jail term and fined $500 and that the reality TV star has agreed to undergo substance abuse evaluation and treatment. Bretherton's probation requires community service and regular drug and alcohol testing, Stroud said.

When Billy and Mary Bretherton were arrested last year in Bossier Parish, a spokesman for the northwest Louisiana municipality of Bossier City said police answering a 911 hang-up call from a hotel room had found the Brethertons with suspected synthetic marijuana and a device often used to smoke drugs.

That happened in April 2012; police got an arrest warrant in June after tests found synthetic marijuana on the device, Mark Natale said.

They were booked with one count each of possession of synthetic marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both charges against Mary Bretherton and the paraphernalia citation against her husband were dropped.

A&E has not answered requests for comment in the case.

The show follows the spiky-haired, leather-wearing Bretherton as he responds to calls to trap or kill various pests.

Calls and emails to Bretherton's pest-control company, Vexcon LLC, were not returned. A residential listing for the Brethertons was unavailable.